


Next Year

by Zofiecfield



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: F/F, Family, Feelings, Fluff, Gen, Happy Ending, Holidays, One Shot, Short One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-08
Updated: 2020-11-08
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:49:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27445909
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zofiecfield/pseuds/Zofiecfield
Summary: For Nicole and Rachel, surrounded by their zany found family, the holidays this year shine brightly.
Relationships: Nicole Haught & Rachel Valdez (Wynonna Earp TV), Waverly Earp & Wynonna Earp, Waverly Earp/Nicole Haught, Wynonna Earp & Nicole Haught
Comments: 6
Kudos: 97





	Next Year

Wynonna was squatting down by the kitchen counter, peering into a glass jar. She picked it up and gave it a little shake, watching as the viscous brown liquid quivered. Disgusted, she turned to Waverly, who was kneeling on the counter, digging in a high cabinet, guarded by Nicole. “Waverly, what the hell is this and why is it in our kitchen?”

Waverly glanced over her shoulder. “Aquafaba,” she said, brightly. She handed a bag of cookie cutters and five pounds of sugar to Nicole, who tossed them to Rachel at the kitchen table.

“No,” Wynonna said, doubtful. “Baby girl, that’s not a real thing.”

Waverly laughed as she climbed down off of the counter. “Yes, it is. It’s the liquid leftover from cooking chickpeas. It’s an egg substitute!”

“Bean goo… right.” Wynonna carefully set the jar back down on the counter and sniffed it. “Nope, not in my kitchen. I’ll go buy you some eggs.” She picked up the jar again and aimed for the sink, intercepted quickly by Nicole. Rachel turned away, doing her best to hide her laughter.

Wynonna looked to Nicole in disbelief. “You can’t possibly be on board with this, buddy.”

Nicole shrugged, smiling. “All cookies are good cookies, beans or no beans.”

“Traitor,” Wynonna gasped, eyebrows furrowing. 

“Hush. Give me that.” Waverly snatched the jar from Wynonna’s hands and tucked it into the fridge. “We’re experimenting with vegan baking!” 

She ignored the quiet _oh no_ from under Wynonna’s breath. 

Waverly threw her arms around Wynonna’s waist and spun happily once in the middle of the room, forcibly dragging Wynonna with her. She sung, “It’s nearly Christmas and I want to be ready!”

“But it’s barely October, and bean goo isn’t appropriate in any season.” Wynonna protested, clawing her way out of Waverly’s arms.

Rachel looked at her with mild concern, tinged with pity. “It’s the first week of November, dude.”

Waverly lightly smacked Wynonna’s backside with the wooden spoon. “Now go away. We have work to do.” 

Wynonna groaned, but let Waverly push her out of the kitchen.

_Smoke was drifting from the kitchen into the hallway, bitter and growing thicker. Rachel found Nicole standing at the kitchen counter, beating a frozen stick of butter heavily with a rolling pin. She said nothing, but quietly turned off the oven and held out her hand for the rolling pin. Nicole handed it to her without meeting her eyes, then leaned forward to rest her head on the kitchen cabinet for a moment. “Waverly used to-” she started, and didn’t bother to finish._

Purgatory Public Radio’s classical station (PPR 88.9) started playing Christmas music as soon as Halloween had passed. As often as she was allowed, Waverly had the radio on, music filtering into the rooms of the Homestead. At least once a day, Rachel or Wynonna changed the station and hid the radio, buying precious seconds before the Christmas tunes returned. Even Nicole, always loyal, would turn down the volume a few notches at a time when Waverly wasn’t looking.

One evening, Nicole and Wynonna found Waverly swaying slowly by the fire, humming along with the radio. Rachel sat curled up in a chair, headphones on and a book in her lap. Seeing them, she shrugged. “She’s been like that for an hour.”

Nicole smiled in total adoration and tapped Waverly on the shoulder. “May I cut in?”

Waverly grinned and curtsied. They began a slow waltz in each other’s arms, Nicole whispering softly in Waverly’s ear.

Wynonna rolled her eyes at them fondly. She offered her hand to Rachel. “Shall we?”

Rachel huffed. “No way.”

Wynonna removed Rachel’s headphones from her head and gave her a broad smiled. She said nothing, just staring at Rachel with that smile on her face, like a determined wild toddler.

Rachel sighed and set her book aside. “Fine. You guys are so weird.”

She and Wynonna, both leading, or often, neither leading, began a haphazard sway. 

“You’re a terrible dancer,” Rachel said. 

“Shut up or I’ll step on your toes again,” Wynonna shot back. “Let’s see if I can dip you!”

“No!” Rachel shouted, laughing despite herself, her miserable façade slipping away as she tried to wriggle out of Wynonna’s arms.

_In a vague effort to fill the empty house, Nicole had turned on the radio, scanning through to find a station playing Christmas music. Rachel stood abruptly and turned off the radio mid-song. She walked out of the room, pausing in the doorway without looking back. “My mom and I used to have a dance party on holiday mornings when there was no work and no school and no where to be. Just the two of us. Mugs of hot chocolate and music turned up loud. We started when I was little. It was silly, but it was ours.” They left the radio off for the rest of the season._

“Get in the car, Small Pint. It’s time to murder a tree.” Wynonna popped her head into Rachel’s room, uninvited. 

“I don’t want to do that,” Rachel monotoned.

“I wasn’t asking, and unless you want concerned looks from Waverly all day, I suggest you do as I say.”

Rachel groaned but rolled off the bed and grabbed a hat. 

Doc was waiting for them in the car. “Rachel, I’m glad you’ve joined us,” he said, glancing at her as she climbed into the back seat. “Last time we did this, we lost the tree halfway home because Wynonna refused to use the proper knots. I need reinforcements when dealing with her in these matters.”

Wynonna scoffed. “In my defense, that tree was an asshole.”

Rachel shook her head and slumped back against the seat. 

“Cheer up, pup,” Wynonna said, reaching back to swat her knee. “I’ll let you take a swig from my flask to ward off the cold, and we won’t tell Nicole. And you can use the saw!”

A palm slammed into the window next to Wynonna’s head, making them all jump. Nicole opened the driver’s side door before Wynonna could hit the lock button. “Give me the flask.”

“What flask?”

Nicole held out her hand and waited. Wynonna sighed and dug the flask out of her jacket pocket. 

“And the other one, in your sock.”

“You really are no fun,” Wynonna grumbled as she handed it over.

Nicole winked. “Love you too.” She peered into the back seat. “Waverly and I are eating cookies and watching a movie while we decorate. Want to join us?”

“Gods yes, save me,” Rachel said, scrambling out of the car.

Wynonna huffed and Nicole stuck her tongue out. 

_They let the holidays pass them, one by one. Nicole, eyes cast too far ahead, her breath held waiting, always on the cusp of hope and grief. Rachel, eyes squeezed shut, unprepared and unwilling to mourn the loss she’d been handed._

Rachel knocked on Nicole and Waverly’s door. There was a scramble inside, a grunt and a thunk, panicked whispers and a drawer slamming. Rachel backed down the hallway in a hurry. “Never mind,” she called loudly. “Seen too much, too many times!”

Breathless, Waverly pulled open the door, fully clothed. “Hey! What’s up?”

Still inching down the hall, Rachel said, “I was just going to tell you I’m heading into town for a bit. Do you need anything?”

“Nope! Have fun,” Waverly chirped.

“Yeah, bye.” Rachel turned and bolted, as the door clicked shut again.

“She was being weird,” Waverly said, dragging a large bin of wrapping paper from behind the bed where she’d thrown in a moment ago. “I wonder why.”

Nicole chuckled and kissed her nose. “Stand in her shoes and think for a moment.”

Waverly thought for a moment, then blushed deeply and gasped. “Oh no! We really need to be more careful about where we… you know…”

Nicole flopped down on the bed, laughing hard now.

Waverly shoved her a bit, indignant. “It’s not funny!”

“It kind of is.”

“Shush and help me wrap the rest of her presents before she gets home.”

_They hung no decorations, ate no special meals, exchanged no gifts. Their days passed, each one like the next. They chose not to elevate one day above the others, for fear it would feel like acceptance, for fear it would taste like goodbye._

They gathered on Christmas morning and were joined by Doc for breakfast. Nedley and Jeremy rolled in an hour late, Jeremy still in PJs looked bleary eyed and desperate for cinnamon rolls, Nedley in a jolly Santa hat with arms full of gifts.

The fire was blazing. Hot chocolate, tea, coffee in mismatched mugs, warming their hands. They talked and laughed with ease, despite the strain of the year, despite all their losses. They were together, and that was enough.

Waverly bustled around doling out presents while Wynonna stood on a chair telling an animated story that had Jeremy dribbling hot chocolate out of his nose. 

Nicole was overwhelmed by the goodness of this, by the way it reached back into the months and months of longing, not to erase them, but to smooth their brutal edges. She brushed a tear from her cheek and looked up, catching Rachel’s eye. Rachel smiled at her then ducked her head to dab her glistening eyes with her shirt.

Nicole nodded her head towards the hallway and rose. Rachel followed her, slipping around the laughter and merriment of the family gathered.

In the hallway, Nicole pulled Rachel into her arms. Rachel squirmed for a second, but quickly succumbed. And together, they cried. Tears of loss and sadness and grief, tears of relief and joy and gratitude. 

After a long moment, they broke apart, both wiping their eyes. Nicole kissed Rachel on the forehead. “Let’s get back in there, huh?”

Rachel threw her arms around Nicole and hugged her one more time, quick and hard, then turned back to rejoin the group. Nicole followed, heart full.

_Next year, together._


End file.
